House Democrats bringing Jeffrey Epstein survivors to Trump’s State of the Union speech

Several House Democrats have invited Jeffrey Epstein survivors to be their guests at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.

That includes Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, one of the authors of the Epstein Transparency Act, the law that resulted in the release of millions of records related to the politically connected financier.

Khanna said in a statement that he brought Haley Robson, who said she was trafficked by Epstein from the age of 16, as a guest to the President’s speech to a joint session of Congress.

“Haley’s courageous fight is proof that it’s not about politics, it’s about exposing America’s two-tiered justice system and holding accountable the Epstein class involved in the horrific abuse of young girls,” Khanna said. “The courage of her and her fellow survivors was the catalyst to change a rotten system and finally stand up for humanity and American values,” he added.

Robson said: “I am honored and it was a wonderful surprise to be invited.”

Some Epstein survivors have criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case and the release of the files, with some accusing the Justice Department of not doing enough to pursue possible Epstein accomplices while keeping the names of some of those people redacted in the files that were released. Others also complained that the Justice Department violated their rights and Epstein’s transparency law by failing to remove all of their names from the records.

Members of Congress typically invite guests whose presence conveys political significance. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., will bring voters who have been affected by the ICE administration’s raids in the state. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., is bringing there a right-wing influencer who has raised fraud allegations against some Somali immigrants.

The president will also have guests. It invited the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams, but a spokesperson for the organization said the women’s team would not be able to attend. It was unclear whether the men’s team would attend.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, will bring as guests Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide last year.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., brings as her guest New Mexico state Rep. Andrea Romero, who launched an investigation into Epstein’s activities in the state, where he owned a sprawling estate known as Zorro Ranch.

“He basically did whatever he wanted in this state with no accountability,” Romero said last week, adding that there was no record of federal law enforcement having searched the 7,600-acre property.

Some Democrats do not attend the event themselves, but invite survivors in their place.

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., said she would meet with constituents during the speech and asked another Epstein survivor to appear in her place.

“I invite Lisa Phillips, one of the many courageous women who survived Epstein’s abuse, to attend the State of the Union ceremony on my behalf. Her presence will send a clear message: Epstein survivors will not be silenced. The powerful will not be protected. Our government will be accountable to the people it serves,” Dexter said in a statement.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, said another Epstein survivor, Marijke Chartouni, who is also one of his constituents, would attend the speech in his place.

“Thirty years after the FBI first ignored reports of Epstein’s crimes, Pam Bondi’s Justice Department continues to fiddle rather than hold perpetrators accountable – even as other countries act decisively,” Chartouni said in a statement released by Jayapal’s office. “This injustice cannot be buried, and we will continue to raise our voices, at every opportunity, until there is truth and accountability for every survivor of Epstein and his ring.”

Several lawmakers, including Raskin, Jayapal and Stansbury, plan to hold a news conference with survivors before the speech, they said in a news release.